WASHINGTON, D.C. (12/16/13) — U.S. Rep. Ed Whitfield, (KY-01), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Energy and Power, today released the following statement regarding his co-sponsorship of the "Protecting Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders Act" (H.R. 3685); a bill that would specifically exempt volunteer firefighters and volunteers providing emergency medical services from the Employer Mandate Provision of Obamacare.

"It turns out that former Speaker Nancy Pelosi was right when she said that we needed to pass Obamacare to find out what's in it. Each and every day it seems like we hear of another job destroying consequence of the ill-conceived Obamacare law. This debacle is a prime example of what happens when you have a bill drafted behind closed doors and rammed through Congress with no opportunity for amendment.

"Our brave firefighters and emergency service volunteers have more important things to worry about than whether or not Obamacare is going to affect their ability to serve the community. I have voted over 40 times to repeal or defund this unworkable health care law and will continue to do what I can to mitigate its harmful effects. It's clear, however, that President Obama doesn't have a solution to this problem even though he's had no issues in the past ignoring the law or granting waivers to his political allies. So, to correct this injustice, I co-sponsored the Protecting Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders Act."

The Protecting Volunteer Firefighters and Emergency Responders Act was introduced by Representative Lou Barletta (R-PA-11) after concerns were raised by volunteer fire departments that since the Internal Revenue Service currently views volunteer firefighters as employees, fire companies and municipalities would be forced to provide health insurance or pay a fine, potentially saddling them with unbearable financial burdens and threatening public safety. The legislative text for H.R. 3685 can be found by Clicking Here.